The second full day of QuakeCon 2018 started off with a lengthy panel dedicated to the upcoming Fallout 76, a departure from the series' single-player experiences. The game will be a multiplayer survival game, which is something the world of Fallout is ripe for. A panel of four, including fan-favorite Todd Howard, broke down what Fallout 76 is and what players will expect when it launches later in 2018. Player progression is going to be a major point of emphasis in Fallout 76 and the team did reveal how most of it works.

"About 80% of it is the Fallout everyone is used to and the other 20% is something different," said Howard. The panel waxed poetic about the gameplay functions and a lot of it seems to lean heavily on the crafting. Instead of a plethora of NPCs like previous Fallout games, you'll be encountering human players and that is the foundation of the shift players will experience in Fallout 76.

After a short while, the team revealed a new trailer focused on perks. The perk system features typical player archetypes, but it looks like there's a card system in use that allows players to switch between different builds for different situations. Player mutations are also teased. The character creation is shown live after the perk trailer and Howard controlled the game on stage.

At any time in the game, you can change how your character looks. Doesn't sound like there's a cost to this feature yet, but we'll learn more as we get closer to the beta launch. The card system for perks involves choosing traits that have a card cost, so players will have to balance their spending to create a style. You can also rank up cards by combining cards, but that means the card use will cost more. Points for stats stop at level 50, but players still earn cards after that point. The "power curve ramp" is capped in this fashion.

The first impression of this system is that having these various perks in card form make the management of them a great deal simpler for old players and potential new Fallout players that decide to start with Fallout 76. Cards can be shared with teammates when it comes to charisma. When you level up, more cards are added to your set. Perk card packs are given to players every couple level and they add flexibility to your character. Later into the game, you get perk card packs every five levels.

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.